Weekly Electronics Tech update 8 November 2026

The first week of November brought several interesting developments in semiconductor technology, particularly in microcontrollers designed for real-time control and power MOSFETs targeting high-frequency power conversion.

Two announcements stand out for power electronics engineers. STMicroelectronics introduced its STM32G5 MCU family, featuring an enhanced high-resolution timer and peripherals aimed at digital power and motor control. Infineon launched its OptiMOS 7 40 V MOSFET portfolio, targeting high-current, high-frequency DC-DC conversion in AI servers and telecommunications infrastructure.

Infineon also introduced AURIX RC1, a new RISC-V-based automotive microcontroller platform. In addition, a new European chip-design initiative could have long-term implications for semiconductor development and the wider electronics industry.

Infineon launches OptiMOS 7 40 V MOSFETs for AI servers and high-frequency DC-DC converters

Company: Infineon Technologies
Announcement date: 3 November 2026
Technology: 40 V silicon power MOSFETs
Target applications: AI servers, data centres, telecom power supplies and high-frequency DC-DC converters

Infineon introduced its OptiMOS 7 40 V switching-optimized MOSFET portfolio for applications requiring high current, low conduction losses and fast switching performance.

The devices are intended for low-voltage secondary-side conversion stages in modern power architectures. These include intermediate bus converters used in conventional 48 V systems as well as emerging 800 V DC power distribution architectures for AI data centres.

Key technical features

The new portfolio focuses on reducing both conduction and switching losses. Infineon has optimized the on-state resistance (RDS(on)), output charge (Qoss) and gate charge (Qg), which are important parameters in high-frequency switching applications.

One of the highlighted comparisons is between the following devices:

New device: IQE010N04LM7CGSC
Previous-generation device: IQE013N04LM6CGSC

According to Infineon, the new device provides:

Up to 33% lower maximum RDS(on) compared with its OptiMOS 6 predecessor at VGS = 4.5 V.
Up to 35% reduction in output-charge and gate-charge figures of merit.
Support for 5 V gate-drive systems.
Maximum junction temperature rating of 175°C.

The portfolio includes devices in compact PQFN packages, with source-down and drain-down configurations. Some variants also support dual-side cooling to improve thermal performance in compact layouts.

Highlighted devices include:

Part number	Package	Maximum RDS(on)
IQE010N04LM7CG	PQFN 3.3 × 3.3 mm	1.0 mΩ
IQE010N04LM7CGSC	PQFN 3.3 × 3.3 mm	1.0 mΩ
ISCH65N04LM7SC	PQFN 5 × 6 mm	0.65 mΩ
ISCH69N04LM7SC	PQFN 5 × 6 mm	0.69 mΩ
ISC011N04LM7SC	PQFN 5 × 6 mm	1.1 mΩ

The stated 1.0 mΩ values for the first two devices are specified at VGS = 10 V. The 0.65 mΩ, 0.69 mΩ and 1.1 mΩ values are also specified at VGS = 10 V.

STMicroelectronics introduces STM32G5 microcontrollers for digital power and motor control

Company: STMicroelectronics
Announcement date: 4 November 2026
Product family: STM32G5
Processor core: Arm Cortex-M33
Target applications: Digital power supplies, motor drives, robotics, renewable energy and AI data-centre power systems

STMicroelectronics announced its new STM32G5 series of mixed-signal microcontrollers. The family is designed for applications requiring high processing performance, precise timing, advanced analog peripherals and integrated security.

The STM32G5 is particularly interesting for power electronics engineers because ST has introduced an enhanced high-resolution timer with 12 channels, along with other peripherals intended for digital power conversion and motor-control applications.

Key technical specifications

Parameter	Specification
CPU core	Arm Cortex-M33
Maximum CPU frequency	280 MHz
Processing performance	420 DMIPS
CoreMark performance	1136 CoreMark
Flash memory	64 KB to 512 KB
High-resolution timer	Enhanced 12-channel HRTIM
ADC	12-bit
DAC	12-bit
Analog peripherals	Operational amplifiers and ultra-fast comparators
Other peripherals	Position encoder and programmable logic array
Security	Arm TrustZone and STM32Trust features

The company states that the STM32G5 delivers approximately twice the compute performance of the STM32G4 family.

Enhanced high-resolution timer for digital power

One of the most important features for power electronics applications is the enhanced 12-channel high-resolution timer.

In digitally controlled power converters, PWM resolution and timing accuracy directly influence the quality of control. This is particularly important in converters operating at high switching frequencies, where small timing errors can affect current regulation, switching transitions and overall efficiency.

A high-resolution timer can be useful in:

Digital PFC controllers.
LLC and phase-shifted full-bridge converters.
Synchronous buck and boost converters.
Multiphase DC-DC converters.
Solar inverters and renewable-energy converters.
Advanced motor-control systems.

The timer's multiple channels can support the generation of coordinated PWM signals. This is useful in converters requiring complementary switching signals, dead-time control and precise synchronization between switching stages.

The availability of programmable logic and advanced analog peripherals also provides opportunities to implement faster control and protection functions with less dependence on external logic components.

Improved analog and motor-control peripherals

The STM32G5 family integrates a range of analog and motor-control peripherals, including:

12-bit ADC.
Operational amplifier.
12-bit DAC.
Ultra-fast comparators.
Motor-control timers.
Position encoder interface.
Programmable logic array.

The combination of these peripherals is useful in applications where the controller must acquire analog feedback signals, execute control algorithms and update PWM outputs with accurate timing.

For example, a digital power supply may require ADC sampling synchronized with PWM switching events. This helps avoid sampling during noisy switching transitions and improves the quality of current and voltage feedback.

Security features

The STM32G5 also includes security features based on Arm TrustZone and ST's STM32Trust ecosystem.

The security architecture supports secure boot, secure firmware updates, protected storage and cryptographic functions. ST also highlights support for post-quantum cryptography-related libraries.

These features are particularly relevant to connected industrial equipment, infrastructure systems and products that require secure firmware management.

Development ecosystem

ST is providing development support through its STM32 ecosystem, including:

NUCLEO-G564RE development board.
B-G564E-MC1S Motor Control Discovery Kit.
B-G564E-DPOW1 Digital Power Discovery Kit.
X-CUBE-DPOWER digital power libraries.
STM32 motor-control software development tools.
STM32CubeMX2 and the updated STM32Cube hardware abstraction layer.

The STM32G5 series is already in production. ST has announced Flash configurations ranging from 64 KB to 512 KB, with package options from QFN32 to LQFP128.

Infineon introduces AURIX RC1, its first RISC-V-based automotive MCU platform

Company: Infineon Technologies
Announcement date: 4 November 2026
Product family: AURIX RC1
Processor architecture: RISC-V
Target applications: Software-defined vehicles, automotive control, battery management and Physical AI

Infineon announced AURIX RC1, a new microcontroller platform based on the open-standard RISC-V instruction set architecture.

This is a major architectural development for Infineon's automotive MCU portfolio, as the company's existing AURIX platform has traditionally been associated with its established automotive microcontroller architecture.

The new platform is intended to provide a scalable processing foundation for software-defined vehicles and other real-time embedded systems.

Key technical features

Infineon has described the AURIX RC1 as a modular platform that can scale from traditional microcontroller devices to more advanced hybrid MCU/MPU architectures.

The announced platform features include:

Up to 12 32-bit processing cores.
An advanced parallel processing unit for edge AI applications.
Up to 40 MB of embedded memory.
Planned 64-bit microprocessor capabilities in selected product variants.
Support for automotive functional safety up to ASIL D.
Security mechanisms aligned with automotive cybersecurity requirements.
CAN-XL, 10BASE-T1S and multi-gigabit Ethernet support.
Integration options for BRIGHTLANE Ethernet switching technology.

The platform is designed to support a broad range of automotive functions, including zone controllers, body electronics, chassis control, battery management systems, powertrains and advanced driver-assistance systems.

Why RISC-V matters

RISC-V is an open-standard instruction set architecture that allows semiconductor companies to develop processor implementations with greater flexibility.

For automotive applications, this can provide opportunities to customize processing resources for different control and computing requirements.

Infineon's approach is to use a common platform across multiple automotive domains. This could reduce the need for completely separate MCU architectures for individual vehicle functions.

The company is also emphasizing software reuse, virtual prototyping and AI-assisted migration tools through its DRIVECORE ecosystem.